Holtec International may establish its second manufacturing facility in India, this time dedicated to Small Modular Reactors. A meeting in New York between Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Holtec’s CEO brought a potentially landmark project to the table — one that, if realized, would make the Indian state one of the few SMR manufacturing hubs in the world.
The company is no stranger to Gujarat. Holtec already operates a precision manufacturing plant in Dahej, producing air-cooled condensers — a facility that was expanded in 2025 to meet growing demand. Now the ambition goes further: a dedicated SMR production plant and an R&D center. CEO Kris Singh had already stated, in an early 2026 interview, the goal of manufacturing 200 SMRs in India, with Gujarat-made components intended for dual use — serving both nuclear and conventional power plants.
The Gujarat government has laid the regulatory groundwork. The state’s new Industrial Policy 2026 places nuclear energy equipment, including SMRs, among the priority sectors earmarked for incentives and investment. Patel presented this framework directly to Holtec during the New York meeting, signaling that the interest is not opportunistic but part of a structured, long-term strategy. At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Energy had already issued a specific authorization in March 2025, allowing Holtec to sell its SMR-300 reactor in India and share technical information with three Indian partners: Tata Consulting Engineers, L&T, and local subsidiary Holtec Asia.
The New York meeting is part of a broader agenda. Patel has been conducting a series of meetings with major American corporations as part of a promotional tour ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2027, the biennial event that has been attracting international investment to the state for two decades. In addition to Holtec, the Chief Minister met with Kyndryl’s leadership — which expressed interest in artificial intelligence partnerships — and with BlackRock, to discuss expanding services in the GIFT City financial zone. Nuclear energy, however, is the standout item that sets this round of meetings apart from previous ones.
India’s regulatory environment is shifting fast. The government in New Delhi is working to dismantle the historically state-dominated nuclear power sector, opening the door to private and foreign operators that were legally excluded until just a few years ago. Holtec is well positioned: it already has a manufacturing footprint in Gujarat, holds U.S. authorization to operate in India, and is exploring a stock market listing at an estimated valuation of over ten billion dollars. Should the SMR facility move forward, Gujarat would become a node in the global supply chain for next-generation nuclear power — not merely an end market, but a center of production.
